Bengal Lancer - Fullers (5.3% ABV)

There is no mistaking that this is an IPA, with an image of British-Empire-era Indian Cavalry adorned on the front label. I had this a few months back and remember enjoying it a lot

Pours a golden honey colour; nice and clear with a foamy white head. It doesn't stick around for long, mind and drops to a very thin layer quite quickly.

Nose is straightforward - citrus and floral hops with underlying biscuit malt and a hint of caramel sweetness.

Taste provides a pleasant and a refreshing citrus bite, with orange marmalade and oily hop flavour. Hints of grass and light spice at the back of the palate. Good blend of flavours which are held together with that biscuit malt and delicate caramel sweetness. Finishes dry and crisp with a good dose of resinous hop and pithy bitterness.

Beautifully balanced and constructed, this is light bodied and goes down smooth. Delicate carbonation and a good level of astringency help to make this feel clean and refreshing. The IBU levels don't feel as high as they perhaps should, but that's just me being picky. All in all, this is a great beer for its style and another hit from Fullers.

 

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - Sierra Nevada (5.6% ABV)

Sierra Nevada get a lot of love from the craft beer loving community, so it was only a matter or time before I had to try one myself. This is the first SN brew I have ever tried, and this is their 'entry level' ale, if you will...

Pours a golden straw colour, nice and clear. Produces a bubbly off-white head which drops to a thin layer. Some light lacing on the glass.

Smells of pale & caramel malt with a ton of citrus and aromatic floral hops. Nice light bouquet with an underlying grass and straw note.

Straight away, the citrus hops crawl over the palate; grapefruit and lime with a pleasant pithy bitterness. The malt does make a good job to anchor the hops with biscuit and caramel to give a healthy balance. Finishes with lightly spiced, herbal and grassy hops with a clean, crisp and dry bitterness.

Light/medium body and a good amount of astringency to leave the palate needing more. Balance seems about right and the carbonation helps this go down a treat. Well, SN certainly know how to put a beer together. Time to try their IPA and Porter next I think!

 

Young's Special London Ale - Wells & Young (6.4% ABV)

Can't go wrong with a bit of Wells & Young. This particular bottle was a Christmas gift, and one that I have not tried before!

Pours a cloudy bronze colour and produces a lovely yellow-tinged, thick foamy head. Great retention and some lacing throughout

Smell of fruity yeast esters are most noticeable; tropical & citrus fruits with aromatic floral hops, candy sugars also prominent. Some maltiness is there too, but only just.

Yeast-heavy breadiness, intermingling with candi sugars and fruity yeast esters (banana and grapes). Pleasant warming from the booze throughout. Finishes with aromatic floral hops with a hint of spiciness and mild, clean bitterness. Good balance with refined flavours... Tastes a little Belgium to me...(?)

Medium/full bodied with a smooth and creamy texture, thanks to the effervescent carbonation. Very low astringency. It's a great mix of flavours, but it all seemed too reliant on the yeast propping up the malt and hops. Still, it tasted good but not great.

 

1845 - Fullers Brewery (6.3% ABV)

Almost done the entire Fullers range of beers; the ones that are available bottled anyway. 1845 was brewed to mark the 150th anniversary of the London Brewery, and has a great score on Beeradvocate.

Pours auburn with one of the thickest heads I've ever seen on a beer! It is truly thick and sticks to the glass like glue, whilst retaining itself pretty well throughout.

Nose throws up plenty of roasted malt aromas, booze-soaked dried fruits, syrup and molasses which are all propped up by a heavy yeast base.

Rich, smooth, roasted malts give an earthy feel up front. Develops into a nuts, caramel and more boozy fruits. Finishes by a gentle cleansing of resin & dried leaf hop bitterness. Roasted malt and yeast esters linger on the palate.

Mouthfeel is smooth, full-bodied but has a slightly oily feel that isn't necessarily unpleasant, but is distracting. Carbonation is almost right (tad prickly) and astringency is moderate. It's a decent beer alright, and typical of Fullers in that it is packed full of flavour and has brilliant construction. It does, however, carry a few flaws but they can be overlooked

Sainsburys Taste the Difference IPA - Marstons (5.9% ABV)

Picked this up at random from the aforementioned supermarket, and I have to say I was a little intimidated by the complex tasting notes on the label:

Taste: Hops and Malt

Woah there cowboy! Slow down a bit... Hops AND malt?! Christ alive, I better sit down for this one. Sarcasm aside, this is actually brewed by Marstons so it will at least be half decent.

Pours a clear, golden tawny colour with a big foamy off-white head. Great retention and some lacing on the glass throughout.

Nose isn't the strongest in the world, but there is at least a healthy amount of hoppage in there; floral hops with a citrus twist. Sweet malts are evident, but only fleetingly.

Nice bread malts with caramel sweetness and a nutty character at the front end. Spicy and peppery hops in the mid-palate, before finishing with an admirable amount of hop bitterness, grass and pine. Long bitter linger with a touch of sweet malt piggy-backing. Crisp and clean with a good balance of hops and malt.

Medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel, this goes down a treat. For a supermarket brew, this is a top IPA and I was impressed with the level of hop flavour and quality construction. Worth a try.

 

 

Dead Pony Club - Brewdog (3.8% ABV)

I recently had a Brewdog Punk IPA which I loved, despite trying the stuff about 4 years ago and I turned my nose up at it. My palate was a lot less refined then and not accustomed to the hop-heavy craft beers that are en vogue today. So, due to my new found love of Brewdog, I decided I would give their Dead Pony Club American pale ale a whirl.

Pours a clear caramel colour. Frothy ivory head drops to a thin layer quite quickly, but offers some mild lacing on the glass.

Nose is hop heavy; a ton of citrus, aromatic floral hops, oranges, and complex tropical fruits. Hints of malt in there too, but nothing noteworthy.

Upfront, pale and caramel malts give a delicate sweet bread flavour... But the hops steal the show here. Grapefruit, orange & pine are the predominant flavours, with underlying hints of herbs, tropical fruits and oily hop flavour. Finishes crisp, clean and with an almost IPA level of bitterness. Very tasty and refreshing.

Light bodied and goes down smooth. Perhaps a tad on the thin side, but the carbonation levels are spot on, and the hops provide a pleasant level of palate-cleansing dryness; opposed to an acrid 'paint stripping' feeling. I was happy with the balance. Some might suggest that the malt base is too weak (which it might be), but I felt the flavours worked well together, and as the brewer has intended.

Well, this is an impressive brew; endlessly quaffable and with a flavour profile that betrays the meagre 3.8% ABV. If you take the time to read the crap that Brewdog print on the side of the bottle, you would be forgiven for thinking that they were all mad teenagers with anger management problems... Perhaps they are, but they can make a mean beer.

 

Fursty Ferret - Badger (4.4% ABV)

Another Badger brew... Lets see if they can't turn my opinion around this time!

Pours an orange, caramel colour and produces an off-white soapy head. A lot of lacing on the glass throughout, and the head retains itself very well.

Nose is malt heavy with a bread & yeast character, and an underlying toffee sweetness. Fruity aromas (mostly oranges), pine hops and delicate spices.

Up front, the strong malt base comes through. Like the nose, it has a heavy bread flavour to it and moderate toffee sweetness. Slight wood note in there as well. Mid-palate, the orange and citrus flavours come through with a zesty bite. Finishes mildly bitter with spicy hops. Slightly unpleasant mineral and stale hop flavour lingers on the palate which tarnishes an otherwise decent flavour profile.

Medium body, but does feel a bit thin. Well balanced with good levels of carbonation and inoffensive astringency.

Pretty good from Badger, although it is flawed like so many of their beers I have had in the past. I don't know if this suffered from being light struck, but Badger are yet to impress me, despite quite a large catalogue of different brews.

 

Golden Glory - Badger (4.5% ABV)

My reviews have been a tad quiet of late, mainly due a busy Christmas related social calendar and most of my time being spent recovering. However, I must get back to 'work' and drink some more beer... The beer in question today is Badger's Golden Glory.

Pours a glorious, erm, golden colour and produces an off white / yellow head. Really frothy head and gives a ton of lacing and good retention.

Nose is pure peach. Not much else. Faintest hint of pale malts, but it's pretty underwhelming and bland.

Taste starts of with light malts; mild bread & caramel character. Unfortunately, any further complex developments in flavour are beaten into submission by pure peach juice. Finishes with citrus & resin bitterness, with some malt sweetness. Astringency is a tad harsh, but tastes clean and well constructed.

Well carbonated, medium bodied and goes down smoothly. However, it is too dry and that peach juice flavour unbalances the whole brew.

I don't know what to make of this... I shouldn't enjoy it, but I kind of did. On a warm summers day, this would be great with some BBQ grub. But as a specimen of quality English ale, it just doesn't hit the mark; it's bland and about as complex as an un-complex thing. Also, I would give it a miss if you're not a fan of peaches!

 

Old Speckled Hen - Morland / Greene King (5.2% ABV)

Not much to say about Old Speckled Hen, other than it is brewed by the country's most popular brewer, Greene King. This is either a good thing, or a bad thing depending on your views of GK.

Pours a clear auburn, but we knew that anyway as it comes in a clear bottle... Ivory head with a little retention and lacing.

Nose gives off earthy aromas with tons of gently toasted malt and some toffee sweetness. Dried leaves and herbs from the hops are quite prevalent also.

Taste is malt heavy, but at the same time it is a weak malt base; bread and toffee are all that's on offer, but they taste clean and smooth. Develops into wet leaves, dried hops, tea, pine and some herbal notes. Finishes dry with a gentle, clean bitterness with some pine flavour sticking around.

Light/medium body with a thin and watery texture. Carbonation is ok, and astringency is only mild. Good balance with clean flavours.

There is no doubt is a well constructed brew (as you would expect from GK), but there is nothing to keep you interested; In short, it is boring.

 

Christmas Ale - Shepherd Neame (7% ABV)

Ho ho ho! May as well get in to the Christmas spirit with this special edition brew from Shepherd Neame that is brewed with marrow from reindeer antlers, and uses melted snow from Lapland. Unfortunately, only one of those previous facts is true (probably), so it might just taste all other Shepherd Neame brews but with more heat...

Pours a nice bronzed amber colour, which is topped off momentarily by an off-white head; quickly dissipates to nothing though which is disappointing.

Lots of booze on the nose! Smells like Brandy or Whisky. Other than that, there is a decent mix of spicy syrup sweetness and fruit cake.

Well, it certainly tastes Christmassy! Sweet & spicy malt coats the palate which is all intertwined with boozed soaked fruits (raisins foremost) with mild woody notes underneath. More malt on the finish with an unpleasant cloying sweetness sticky to the back of the throat. Hops? Hardly any, but there is a tinge of resin bitterness on the linger. Distinct taste of Brandy/Whisky throughout

Full bodied with dull carbonation and no astringency. Instead, there is an unpleasant sticky, oily coating to the palate throughout which actually required coughing to clear from my throat! Let down by the almost non-existent hop profile which makes it feel unbalanced

Hits the nail on the head with its idea of what Christmas should taste like. Rich, boozy, warming, fruity and over indulgent. However, it's precisely this which proves its undoing. Do I want a beer that makes me feels like I've just eaten a whole Brandy soaked Christmas pudding? No, because that would make me feel a bit sick and I'm not a big fan of Brandy.

Give it a go (as its a seasonal) but don't drink one and expect to feel refreshed.

Pannepeut - De Struise Brouwers (10% ABV)

This Belgium quad is ranked 93 on BeerAdvocate so should be impressive. The previous De Struise offerings I have tried were very good, so I'm sure that this will not disappoint.

Pours a deep, dark mahogany and kicks up a thick tan head. Tons of lacing and retention. Looks 'yeasty'.

Smells of roasted malts, candy floss, toffee and ample amounts of fruity Belgium yeast. Underlying hint of earthy hops. Despite being 10% ABV, there isn't an excessive amount of heat, but definitely enough to make it boozy

Great mixture of flavours in this. Malt up front; toffee, bread, roast and slight woody quality to it. This is all effortlessly complemented by big fruity yeast flavours: perhaps apricots, apples, prunes and peaches? It's really complex though and difficult to put my metaphorical finger on. Really slow before the hop flavours kick in and give resin hop flavour and mild bitterness. Lingers with sugary malt sweetness sticking to the palate. Really boozy throughout, but not excessively so.

Mouthfeel is smooth, slick and full bodied. Carbonation is perfect, and astringency is very low. You would never guess that this is 10%. Some 6% beers taste stronger than this.

It's definitely a top notch brew: complex with bucket loads of flavour and great construction. I love how the hop flavour almost never seems to come, but then gradually creeps up on you. This is perhaps a little too sweet for me, but in terms of flavour, it is a world class brew.

 

Adnams' Explorer - Adnams (5% ABV)

My second in Adnams in as many days, this is a blond ale which fuses English malts with US hops; hence the name, 'Explorer'.

Pours a golden orange and produces a wispy white head which drops in the blink of an eye to almost nothing. Lots of carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass.

Nose give light pale malts with biscuit and honey sweetness. The hops throw out plenty of citrus; predominantly grapefruit.

Upfront taste of clean, pale malts. Biscuity with honey sweetness and a faint fruity yeast. Develops quickly into plenty of hop flavour, first up plenty of grapefruit, then pine and finishes with good whack of bitterness and a resinous linger on the palate. Clean, crisp and refreshing.

Light bodied, smooth and well constructed. Astringency and carbonation levels all seem at the right level.

Good representation of style this and worth a try. There is nothing particularly wrong with it, but at the same time, it feels as if it hasn't really broken the mould, even though it has tried to with its US/UK fusion.

Ghost Ship - Adnams (4.5% ABV)

Ghost Ship is now part of Adnams' permanent range, having previously only been available as a seasonal brew. Finally came across this in the supermarket recently, so I made sure I grabbed a bottle!

Nice looking in the glass. Appears a burnished, golden tawny colour and produces a thick yeasty head with moderate retention and lacing. Lots of big bubbles in the glass too.

Lots of different aromas on the nose. Yeast and tons of complex citrus notes at the forefront, with delicate toasted pale and caramel malts offering up some sweetness. Maybe a whiff of tropical fruit in there too...?

On first taste, I have to say that the malts seem a tiny bit thin. Pale and caramel malts with a yeasty and bready note. Definitely has a woody feel to it, but it's still a tad subdued. Mid palate the citrus hops kick in and give a ton of flavour; really complex but I reckon there is lemon, grapefruit and oranges in there; also a delicate hint of tropical fruit. Finishes with a stale, stewed hop bitterness and a load of that citrus sticking around to give a bitter, dry and pithy finish.

Medium bodied but texture is slightly on the thin side. Carbonation levels were a little heavy at first, but seemed to settle down about halfway through. Balance wise, the malt base is just under par for me, and the finish is too 'puckering'

This brew is in the exact same vein as the Oakham Ales JHB, which I think does a better job than Adnams' offering. I was disappointed by a couple of minor things, but it is still a decent pale ale.

 

St Peters' Cream Stout - St Peters Brewery (6.5% ABV)

This is my first ever 'cream stout' so I'm half expecting something like Guinness mixed with milk...?

Appears almost black; slight ruby hue. Typically mocha head offers good retention and a little lacing

Aroma gives off a surprising light floral hoppiness, milk chocolate and an underlying roasted character. Maybe some dark fruits in there also?

Up front taste of smooth roasted malts and a heavy lactose sweetness, which develops into milk chocolate and toffee. Finishes with coffee, some oily hop flavour and milk chocolate to give a satisfying bittersweet finish.

Mouthfeel is creamy and slick (like full fat milk) with a medium body. Carbonation is a little off-putting at first, but soon settles down. Good balance all round with a nice warming feel from the alcohol.

Not bad this. There is enough flavour to intrigue, but i felt the lactose element was slightly edging on the side of 'overpowering'. Will have to sample further dairy based stouts to compare really.